Fast and accurate real-time processing of data signals is desirable in general purpose digital signal processing, consumer electronics, industrial electronics, graphics and imaging, instrumentation, medical electronics, military electronics, communications and automotive electronics applications among others, to name a few broad technological areas. In general, video signal processing, such as real-time image processing of video signals, requires massive data handling and processing in a short time interval. Image processing is discussed by Davis et al. in Electronic Design, Oct. 31, 1984, pp. 207-218, and issues of Electronic Design for, Nov. 15, 1984, pp. 289-300, Nov. 29, 1984, pp. 257-266, Dec. 13, 1984, pp. 217-226, and Jan. 10, 1985, pp. 349-356.
A processing device particularly suitable for real-time processing of video signals is disclosed herein. The processing device in one embodiment comprises a linear array of up to 1024 1-bit parallel processing devices having a set of data input registers (DIR) and a set of data output registers (DOR). The DIR and DOR are clocked at very high speeds (up to 8 times the subcarrier frequency--approximately 28.6 MHz). This frequency in combination with a DIR data bus width of 40-bits and a DOR data bus width of 24-bits results in a large power drain on the system and a large amount of signal noise on the busses. It is desirable to provide the system with some means to reduce the noise and power drain.
In one embodiment of the present invention this is achieved by physically separating the DIR and DOR respectively into eight segments. Since only one of the 1024 DIR words are being written to at any one time, only the segment containing that word need be powered up during the write time. This also applies to the DOR.